Racing: Heavy conditions will suit The Strutter

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The Strutter will tomorrow at Ellerslie attempt to achieve what her mother, Tui Akarana, couldn't.

Tui Akarana was good enough to win nine races, including a Rotorua Cup and a Kiwifruit Cup as well as finish third in Double Take's New Zealand Cup.

But she went luckless in two attempts at the Cornwall Handicap.

In 1994 she finished sixth behind Brilliant Venture and a year later was 14th of 15.

The Strutter, very much in the mould of her mother, put her name up for Cornwall consideration when she scored a gritty last-stride victory over The Missing Link on the first day at Ellerslie last Saturday.

That was a knock-down, drag-out type of race and exactly what's going to be needed in what will have to be extremely testing conditions.

One thing the family that Dargaville's Dick Stevenson keeps producing do well at is running strongly through the mud.

The Strutter is going to get conditions to suit at Ellerslie tomorrow.

The Ellerslie track was yesterday rated a heavy 11 and rain is forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

What she produced in the closing stages to win last week can only be described as sheer bloody-mindedness - an attribute that will greatly override class in this race.

Having won under 55kg last week, The Strutter is nicely placed on the 54kg minimum.

So is Twoeezy, who is stepping up to open grade.

Twoeezy has won five races on good or dead going and is only one from three in heavy footing, but that could be a little misleading.

One of the easiest wet track wins of recent times was his runaway win at Pukekohe, where he ran the 2100m in a snail-like 2.20 - 10 seconds slower than when he finished seventh to Postman's Daughter on a much better surface at Te Rapa at his next start and nine seconds slower than when he was second to Sum Up on another good track at Ruakaka last start.

A repeat of his Pukekohe effort, where he was doing three-quarter pace for a long way, would take him close here.

Allende could be the value. In terms of overall strength this field is not as strong as when she finished third to So Pristine and Smoking Chimneys at Te Rapa laststart.

One of her better runs was her good second to New Moon in the Winning Edge Championship Final at Tauranga.

Southerner Blancpain adds considerable interest. Her sole North Island starts were when fourth to Montjee in last year's Kiwifruit Cup at Tauranga and her seventh in Trentham's Parliamentary.

She is a dead-set mudder, who has won eight races, six of them in the heavy stuff.

Last start she won the Great Autumn at Riccarton, the 2500m slog taking nearly three minutes to run.

On that basis she's going to plug away well here. The issue might come with the 58.5kg.

Melbourne Cup winner Americain is being targeted at a defence of his title in November.

Americain has had a busy time since winning the Melbourne Cup, running in Hong Kong and twice in France.

"It was difficult for him to travel to Melbourne and then to Hong Kong," trainer Alain Du Royer Dupre told At The Races.

"He needs time now and is going to have two races in Deauville before going again to Melbourne. We will try again.

"It was a very special day when he won in Australia."additional reporting PA